Jury members Will and Danielle spotted singing karaoke in Palm Springs

by Andy Dehnart11 Sep. 2006 | 8:31 am

The Big Brother 7 house may be empty except for an asshat and his mostly willing accomplice, but there was drama recently with the other houseguests. Specifically, it turns out that the sequestered jury is not really all that sequestered.

The CBS affiliate in Palm Springs reports that members of the jury were spotted “at a restaurant-bar in Indio, singing karaoke, playing some golf, and … drinking.” The jury is now in California having left Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, because of Hurricane John. Robert Castanata, identified by CBS 2 as a “restaurant manager,” said that the producer was

“pretty much was a little upset that they were running around and carrying on the way they were. They were having a good time. It was like kids that had gone out that had been locked up for a long time and they were just going crazy. They were having a fun time, they were getting up singing together, and he kind of caught wind of it and came in, dragged them out and said, ‘Let’s go, we gotta get out of here, because you’re not supposed to be out.'”

The station showed two photographs that clearly show Will and Danielle at a bar. Of course, contact with the outside world is the biggest no-no ever; houseguests can never leave the house or have contact with the outside world, unless they’re helping CBS promote one of its sit-coms. It’s likely they’re allowed to leave the sequester house to eat and, apparently, play golf, but are kept under the supervision of a producer–who, if the restaurant manager is to be believed, pretty much sucks at his job.

In possibly related news, CBS.com has been polling viewers about who we want to win, and the small print on that poll has led to a few conspiracy theories. It says, “In the event that one of the Jurors is unable to perform their duties, your vote could be used to break a tie and help determine the winner of BIG BROTHER: ALL-STARS.” A tie, of course, is impossible, as there are seven members of the jury.

That has led some to speculate that Will and Danielle–the only two in photos–have lost their seats on the jury. Reality TV Calendar speculates that “Will and Danielle may have been kicked off the jury and will not be allowed to vote for the winner” and “That may be why the CBS site is asking us to vote for the winner.” That theory doesn’t really hold up, as the site points out, because if both Danielle and Will are eliminated, there are still five people on the jury, thus ensuring that a tie is not possible.

A competing theory holds that the jury member who wins $25,000 thanks to our vote will not get a jury vote, and instead we’ll break any possible tie among the six remaining votes. That would actually be a double prize for the winner of the $25K; they get cash and don’t have to force themselves to pick between Tweedledum and Tweedlemisogynist.

about the writer

Andy Dehnart is a journalist who has covered reality television for more than 15 years and created reality blurred in 2000. A member of the Television Critics Association, his writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Playboy, Buzzfeed, and many other publications. Andy, 37, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. More about reality blurred and Andy.

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